Anagha Baheti

The baby’s cries echoed through the tower, adding to the pounding in my head. Edward helped me pull my aching body to a sitting position and stroked my sweat-soaked hair as I nursed the baby. When the baby finished feeding, a maid took him away and another helped me squeeze into a dress I could have comfortably carried only a year ago.

A few minutes later, the usher announced the king’s entry. Richard entered my chambers and stood by the foot of my bed. Around his neck, on his silken yellow tunic, sat the necklace that had once belonged to my grandfather – a precious piece of our lineage that even Father hadn’t deemed himself worthy of wearing.

“Ah, my precious queen, I trust you are recovering quickly?”

“I am, just not enough to stand up to greet you, having given birth to your son five days ago.”

“You know, my precious, in these parts of our vast kingdom, the saying goes something like ‘little doves should not go around bothering lions.’ You should meditate on the meaning.” Richard smirked. That smirk made me want to jump out of my bed and punch him in the face, but I bit my tongue.

“I need your permission to speak plainly.”

“Granted.”

“I have given you two sons now. An heir and a spare. I have fulfilled my obligations. I need to know if you would honour your part of the promise we made on our wedding night.”

“I am offended that you would think I would break my word. One given in the presence of Gods on our wedding night, no less. Put your mind to rest, my precious. Peace in this kingdom rests on our marriage, so we shall remain married in the eyes of our subjects. However, within these chambers, you are free to lead your life as you see fit. I shall not enter your chambers unless invited. Now, is there anything else?”

I shook my head. Richard turned around and walked away. My eyes met Edward’s, and we shared a tiny smile. Richard stopped at the door and turned around, a wicked smile on his face.

“Little Eddy, why are you always in my wife’s room?”

Anger flared within me, but Edward raised two fingers without looking at me, telling me not to engage.

“I read to the queen, my king.”

“As she feeds my boy?” I felt the colour drain from my face. His face cycled through various expressions, and with each shift, my blood fell colder and colder. Richard made a show of thinking. The barbarian wasn’t truly capable of it. Then, with a cruel smile, he uttered the words that froze the blood in my veins. “Guards, escort Eddy to the dungeons till I decide how to kill him.”

“No!” My scream was primal. Animalistic.

“Come, my love, this behaviour is unbecoming of a queen.” He rubbed his thumb against his temple and let out an exaggerated sigh. “He is your great love, I get that. But you must see things from my perspective. I am the king. I have to punish the commoner that dares look upon my queen while she is indecent. It is my job to keep you safe. No, no. Do not speak. Rest and recover.”

I did not speak. Not because of fear. But because there weren’t enough words in my vocabulary to inform him of the pain and anger choking me from within. Not that he would ever care.

---

The dungeon smelled worse than I could have imagined. The lack of light made it difficult to make out what soiled the hems of my dress, and I was grateful for it. I felt my way through the serpentine maze until I heard someone call my name.

“Is it you?” The voice pulled me closer. The lantern by the wall cast a dim light on me, and a sharp gasp followed. “It is you! What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to see your face.”

Footsteps echoed in the silence, and his bruised face came into view. He had lost a lot of weight and his hair was a knotted mess. I looked away. Seeing his plight only reminded me of my inadequacy, and that filled me with pain and anger.

“My apologies for my appearance, my queen. I wasn’t expecting a visitor.” His laugh did little to hide the pain his body felt, but hearing his voice soothed my aching heart. Tears flowed freely down my cheeks. Edward reached out and wiped them away. “Why do you cry, my sunshine?”

“I tried… I begged and bartered… All my lands, my gold, my titles… All this wealth and yet I couldn’t save my heart.”

“Hush now, my sunshine. I resigned to my fate the day you took your vows. It was only a matter of time. His jealousy rises because he can’t possess your heart like I can.” He rubbed his knuckles against my cheek. A sad smile spread upon his lips. “I am a dead man walking, my love, but your life must go on.”

“I am sor-”

“Do not sully our love with that apology. My sentence is not to punish me, but to break you. Only by breaking you can he keep the kingdom whole and under his thumb.” Tears welled up once more, and he wiped them away. “Hush now, my love. Listen to me. I am not the only one who cares about you and our people. You still have friends at the court. Seek them out. Bring the barbarian to his knees. Free our people. Become the leader your father couldn’t be. Spend the rest of your life in the service of your people. I will wait for you on the other side of the veil. We couldn’t take the vows of life together, but I won’t take the vows of death without you.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, my sunshine, in this life and in all of the others. But our time has come to an end. You must leave now. Return to your chambers before someone notices.”

He kissed my hand and gave me one final smile as he shooed me away. I dragged my feet away from his cell shoving down the urge to turn around. Looking back would have broken my resolve.